Pros and Cons of Metal Fabrication

Fabrication, though a widely used application, does have associated benefits (or pros) as well as disadvantages (or cons), and careful consideration (as with all processes applied in the industry today) must always be taken before applying any process in the production of goods.

The Pros of Fabrication:

It is a technique that can be used across a range of volumes, be it a once-off or a sequential build.

Just about anything can be fabricated once the suitable consideration has been given to the design of the product.

Fabrication is also a great process for building a first-off product before it is transferred to a higher production volume process such as casting.

Many companies within the industry are able to coordinate all the resources that are needed to realise a final product.

This particular process is also able to produce a tight tolerance and highly finished product.

The Cons of Fabrication:

Before fabrication can be used, it must be determined that it is in fact the most efficient and cost effective route to manufacture a product.

Product designers have to have a good understanding of how the processes applied by the fabricator work, and must also be aware of how the processes interact with each other. Highly skilled product designers are thus necessary.

Management of each project must be tightly controlled in order to ensure continuity and quality at each stage of manufacturing.

A part of our everyday lives, fabricated parts can be found, as a classic, high complexity example, in motor cars. With the careful consideration of the requirements of the product and the processes, fabrication itself is a very important tool in any manufacturer’s arsenal.